1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to window screens, more particularly, to a new apparatus and method of removably affixing screens to pre-existing windows.
2. The Prior Art
A screen is used in conjunction with a window so that when the window is opened, relatively large airborne items, such as insects and leaves, cannot enter. Many older and some newer buildings have only windows and are not designed to accept screens. There are a number of solutions to this problem disclosed in the prior art. Roberts (U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,896) provides an elongated snap-in device for removably securing a screen to a window frame. There are also several disclosures of devices that depend upon magnetic attraction to affix the screen or other covering to the window frame. Included in this group are Hinderaker et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,505) and Dickerson et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,758), which rely upon a magnetic strip on the window covering (Hinderaker et al.) or window frame (Dickerson et al.) to secure the window covering.
One disadvantage to these disclosures is that they rely upon the attachment device to provide a barrier between the window frame and the window covering. To this end, their attachment devices extend around the entire the periphery of the window, or as much of the periphery necessary to provide a barrier.
A second disadvantage is that, because they use straight, elongated attachment devices, they cannot be used with windows having rounded sides particularly easily. To accommodate round sides, short lengths of the attachment device must be used and abutted at odd angles.